B2B publishing has quietly become one of the healthier parts of the industry. The trade press that once lived on display and recruitment advertising now earns more of its money from subscriptions, data, events and membership, and private equity has noticed.
The shift meant giving up some old habits. Controlled circulation made sense in print, but open websites gave away what the magazine kept for qualified readers, and the publishers doing best have taken back control of their audiences through registration and paywalls. The Lawyer moved from an advertising-led business to one where paid content brings in over 40 per cent of revenue.
Don’t delude yourself because the barriers to entry in publishing are now non-existent.
Amanda Barnes B2B media
Specialist knowledge is the defence. AI makes generic information close to worthless, so the value lies in proprietary data, tools readers rely on in their daily work and journalism only a specialist could produce, as Computer Weekly's Post Office investigation showed. Print hasn't vanished either. Some publishers now sell it alongside digital at the same price and let readers choose.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on B2B and trade media, from subscriptions and data products to events, print, consolidation and specialist journalism, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
We asked Amanda Barnes, chief executive of Faversham House, what does best practice publishing look like in B2B media? This is what she said…
Rory Brown has enjoyed great success in business media. Having last year sold AgriBriefing and now following new paths in the B2B space, he takes some time out to tell us what he has learned on his journey so far…
Print is certainly not dead, says Chairman Mark Allen. However, you need to offer readers choice and be neutral and agnostic about the outcome.
The Lawyer has been on quite a journey, successfully transitioning from a controlled circulation ad-driven model to a high value enterprise subs one. Andy Baker talks Meg Carter through the key stages and what they’ve learnt along the way.
In the first of our new ‘Digital Horizons’ series, Tom Lake, director of product and technology at Infopro Digital, looks at the tech opportunities and challenges facing his company and the wider B2B sector.
The future of B2B lies in serving your sector in three connected ways: information, intelligence and events.
John Barnes, chief digital officer, William Reed Business Media, tells Ciar Byrne about how the B2B media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.
Computer Weekly deserves much credit for its role in investigating the Horizon IT scandal. Dickon Ross looks at what lessons other B2B journalists can take from their work.
The general expectation is that the buying and selling of media brands is going to increase significantly in 2025. A number of companies have been quietly building up their war-chests during a wobbly 2024, reports Jim Bilton.
If you’re thinking of setting up a membership scheme, be prepared to play the long game because success doesn’t come overnight.
Country Life magazine has launched its new online Picture Library www.countrylifeimages.co.uk, making public a remarkable collection of images from over 100 years of architectural and garden photography, as well as high-quality images of contemporary
IPC Media's International department, part of the licensing and syndication division IPC+, has announced the launch of an Indian edition of Livingetc – its modern homes magazine.
This summer, as the Simpsons animated TV series approaches its 20th anniversary, Springfield’s first family will be appearing as never seen before on the covers of three very special issues of Simpsons Comics!
IPC Weeklies group advertising director Kate MacKenzie has announced two key changes to the structure of the IPC Weeklies advertising team, bringing trading across all the brands in the IPC Connect and TX portfolios under one advertising director for
Pro2col Ltd, a leading supplier and integrator of file transfer and workflow technologies in the UK and Ireland, has announced their appointment as EU resellers of the high-performance file transfer software, ExpeDat.
Atex has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PPF Media, a Prague-based division of PPF Group, to provide advisory and consulting support services in print and multimedia training for Central and Eastern Europe.
Wargames Illustrated has a new owner and a new look. Polybagged and perfect bound, the revamped historical gaming title is, says the publisher, bigger, brighter and includes a free plastic figurine.
UK women are taking the current recession in their stride – taking more control of their finances, but still making sure there’s money left for treats. These are the key findings of the second annual Money Matters survey of UK women’s attitude to the
This week, the FIPP World Magazine Congress witnesses the launch of dsb.net, what is claimed to be a "next generation" subscription fulfilment bureau.
One issue later than expected, Ian Phillips is back with the second part of his article looking at mailing services. With the recent Hooper Report still causing ructions between the government, the unions, and its own backbenchers, Ian ponders some o
Advertising-free publications are nothing new. Newsletters have been doing it for years, but they are unusual in the farming market where the big machinery manufacturers provide valuable revenue streams for many of the leading titles. Yet it was that
The Publishing Futures survey, run by Wessenden Marketing and InPublishing and sponsored by Wide Area, has produced fascinating insights into the current and future state of the publishing industry. The full results are available at www.widearea.co.u
Are publishers missing millions through high opt-out rates? Permission marketing consultancy, Opt-4, conducted a survey at the 2009 Publishing Expo to test awareness amongst publishers of the negative impact of opt-out rates on millions of profitable
Like everyone in publishing battling for survival in the face of recession, Yvonne Ossman, UK publisher of the Economist, has a challenging year ahead. But while others grapple with how best to scale back new investment, cut costs - even manage decli
Shelf displays and other point-of-sale promotions may help set tills ringing, but many magazine publishers are routinely spending on in-store promos they don’t believe in and don’t really want. Jo Bowman looks at why.
